Orange County Family Law Attorneys

Help Your Kids Cope with Divorce

Posted By Center for Mediated Divorce || 15-Sep-2015

Divorce can be a stressful and confusing event for a child. They can even
feel angry about the idea of their parents splitting up or afraid of how
the divorce will change their life. As a parent, you can make the process
of a divorce less painful for your children. By providing a positive and
supportive environment, you can help your child cope with your divorce.
Our Irvine divorce attorney shares some tips about how this is possible
when handling an emotional or upsetting event, like divorce.

Talking with Your Child Is Key

This is the simplest tip to give, but also the most difficult piece of
advice to follow—especially when you aren’t sure what exactly
to say to your child. It is important to give your child an honest explanation
about why you and your spouse are going through the divorce process. No
matter what, open communication and demonstrating empathy is important
when trying to help your child.

Communication isn’t always easy to achieve. Here are some tips to
make it easier:

Be truthful. Your divorce affects your children, giving them the right to know and
understand why it’s happening. Simple and honest answers can help
them reach an understanding about what the future holds.

Remember to say “I love you”. It may seem like a no-brainer, but saying it out loud can help remind
your child through this stressful time.

Discuss what will change. Even though your first instinct might be to tell them of all the things
in their life that won’t change because of the divorce, it is also
important to inform them of what is to come.

Don’t blame your spouse. Despite how you might feel about your spouse, chances are your child doesn’t
feel that way and will be confused if you begin to blame them for the
divorce. It is important to provide a united front.

Even though we encourage you to talk with your children, an equal part
of open communication is listening. Take time to really listen to your
child and encourage them to share their feelings with you. If they are
upset, acknowledge those feelings. Ultimately, you can help your child
cope with divorce by taking the time to communicate and putting forth
the effort to ensure that they
are coping.

If you would like your divorce to be an amicable one, our
Irvine divorce lawyer at the Center for Mediated Divorce can assist you through the entire process.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.